Gateway device, mobile communication system, and paging method

Abstract

A gateway device ( 10 ) according to the present invention includes a memory ( 11 ) that stores information regarding an environment around a radio base station; a controller ( 12 ) that generates a message for paging a mobile station which camps on the radio base station to execute processing for determining information of a radio base station to which the message is transmitted based on the stored information; and a transmission unit ( 13 ) that transmits the message. Paging optimization is thus achieved by reducing the number of paging messages.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A gateway device comprising:
 a memory that stores information regarding an environment around each of a plurality of radio base stations; 
 a controller that executes processing for determining, among the plurality of radio base stations, only a radio base station on which a mobile station last camped and another radio base station whose surrounding environment is close to the environment around the radio base station on which the mobile station last camped, as a transmission destination of a message to page the mobile station, based on the stored information; and 
 a transmission unit that transmits the message. 
 
     
     
       2. The gateway device according to  claim 1 , comprising a reception unit that receives a message regarding paging from a core network device;
 wherein the controller executes the processing when a value of predetermined information included in the received message satisfies a predetermined condition. 
 
     
     
       3. The gateway device according to  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined information comprises at least one of:
 information indicating a class of a Quality of Service (QoS) of a call in the paging; 
 information indicating a service type of the call; and 
 information indicating a type of a calling party. 
 
     
     
       4. The gateway device according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 the reception unit receives the message from the radio base station, 
 the received message comprises information in which an identifier of the mobile station is associated with an identifier of the radio base station, and 
 the controller identifies the radio base station on which the mobile station has camped based on the received message. 
 
     
     
       5. The gateway device according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller deletes the associated information after an elapse of a predetermined period of time. 
     
     
       6. The gateway device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 a mobile communication system is a mobile communication system of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) defined by a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 
 the mobile station is a User Equipment (UE), 
 the radio base station is a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), and 
 the gateway device is an HeNB Gateway (HeNB-GW). 
 
     
     
       7. The gateway device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the information regarding the environment around the radio base station is information regarding a radio environment around the radio base station, and comprises at least one of: 
 information of a cell of an Enhanced Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); 
 information regarding a cell of a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN); 
 information regarding a cell of a Global System for Mobile Communications EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN); 
 information regarding a base station of a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX); 
 information regarding a wireless Internet hotspot; 
 information regarding a TV station; 
 information regarding a radio station; and 
 information regarding a GPS. 
 
     
     
       8. The gateway device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the information regarding the environment around the radio base station comprises at least one of: 
 an IP address allocated to the radio base station; 
 an address regarding a position in which the radio base station is installed; 
 a postcode; 
 a telephone number; and 
 identification information of a gateway device most recently connected to the radio base station. 
 
     
     
       9. A mobile communication system comprising a plurality of radio base stations and a gateway device that communicates with the plurality of radio base stations, wherein:
 each of the plurality of radio base stations transmits information regarding an environment around that radio base station to the gateway device, and 
 the gateway device comprises:
 a reception unit that receives the information; 
 a controller that executes processing for determining a radio base station on which a mobile station last camped and another radio base station whose surrounding environment is close to the environment around the radio base station on which the mobile station last camped, as a transmission destination of a message to page the mobile station, based on the received information; and 
 a transmission unit that transmits the message. 
 
 
     
     
       10. A paging method comprising the steps of:
 storing information regarding an environment around each of a plurality of radio base stations; 
 executing processing for determining, among the plurality of radio base stations, only a radio base station on which a mobile station last camped and another radio base station whose surrounding environment is close to the environment around the radio base station on which the mobile station last camped, as a transmission destination of a message to page the mobile station, based on the stored information; and 
 transmitting the message to the radio base station to which the message is transmitted.